Monday, 1 August 2011

HD Movies On Your iPhones and iPads

Sooner than you would expect you might be able to enjoy some high quality HD movies on your iPhones and iPads. Apparently Apple is making some big steps in the HD area, producing displays that would support a lineup of 1080p movies for their next generation of iPhones and iPads. The mobile devices are expected to run iOS 5 and rumors say they will be launched on the market this fall.

The HD display rumors seem to coincide with the upcoming version of Apple TV as well as with the iOS operating system that would support HD viewing. Provided that Apple’s iPhone 5 to come will feature 1080p Hd videos, it would surpass Toshiba’s 4 inch screen smartphone released a few months ago, that plays 720p videos and features 367 per inch density. The HD playback will probably be integrated in the Android smartphones with powerful hardware, wich can support 1080p videos, such as the dual core processor offerings from Nvidia, exas Instrument and Qualcomm.

The next generation iPhone is expected to come with an A5 processor and a redesigned, larger 4 inch screen . Apple has apparently selected developers to create new apps for iPhone 5’s faster, powerful hardware, according to 9to5 Mac

The iPhone 5 is not the only Apple device to feature the HD displays, since the company plans the same for the next generation iPad tablet. Apple is currently undertaking tests in its China Laboratories, on LG and Samsung HD displays with 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution and a 9.7 inch touchscreen for the future iPad tablet, Korea Times reports. The iPads will apparently have a more powerful A6 processor running iOS 5.2. , improving the video experience with smoother quality images.

Since the iPhone 5 is expected to come this fall, and the next iPad hopefully by the end of this year, the timing couldn’t have been better.

iPhone still needs to gain access to 25% of Americans

Looks like signing a pact is more efficient than living in competition. It is the case of Verizon and AT&T, who have been outselling one another in a direct rivalry. Now, with the new iPhone 5, displaying both Verizon and AT&T simultaneously, Apple went from a potential market of less than half Americans to gaining about three quarters of them. The remaining quarter is unlikely to become a prey, the iPhone 5 and the Apple’s iOS does not appeal to the unpersuadable part of the market, who are still faithful to Sprint and T-Mobile. Even if the truce brought Apple a significantly number of potential clients, it seems that the figures are still not enough.

Since there is no doubt that Apple can’t win T-Mobile and Sprint’s part of the market, they will have to aim at Android and BlackBerry’s share, targeting their phones in an effort to gain some new costumers or to retain their own. On the other hand, Sprint and T-Mobile may pull their tricks in case their clients wish for an iPhone, offering network experiences or reduced monthly pricing for iPhones.

Such offers would sure put a pressure on Verizon and Apple, rushing them to come with better deals to their users. Verizon might need to rethink better strategies, while AT&T should consider providing an improved networking cover, since users from smaller cities (less than five thousand people) can’t even get a 3G signal. So, even if a truce between the iPhone 5 and Sprint or T-Mobile would attract the other 25% of the population, there would be no competition left. And without a competition, there is no pressure and no need to winning the customers, to offering improved services and an improved iPhone 5 experience.

Verizon Clears Out Inventory To Make Room For iPhone 5

As the predicted September launch of Apple’s latest smartphone, iPhone 5, is closer than ever, more and more rumors on the eagerly waited for device are floating in the air. One of the juicy rumors that have just hit the internet says that Verizon is apparently clearing out inventory to make room for the arrival of Apple’s next generation smartphone. It seems that Verizon has started to discount some of iPhone 4’s accessory bundles. And usually, discounting a device’s accessories means getting rid of the inventory. And clearing out an inventory could only mean making room for a new device to come. In this case, the next generation iPhone.

Since the prices of single accessory offerings are expected to drop, iPhone 4 is probably heading towards the end of his supremacy, its iPhone 5 successor taking its place. Although the sources point to a ‘trusted tipser’, the speculations haven’t been yet confirmed and no information on the clearing inventory is official. Even so, the generally embraced rumor that iPhone 5 is coming this fall, September to be more exact, is most likely true.

While Apple refrains from providing some official information on the release date of their next iPhone, considering their traditional annual cycle and given the latest clues, the iPhone 5 will probably soon be officially announced and the autumn will most likely bring the longingly expected iPhone 5. Whether the rumors are true or not, apart from the thrill of finally enjoying the iPhone 5, we will be sad to have to say goodbye to its little brother iPhone 4.

Will the new iPhone use Bluetooth 4.0?

More and more rumors about the still-to-be-officially-announced new model in the iPhone family. After long debates regarding the supposed features of the new phone, with sources confirming or denying information, now we got some palpable indication of at least one capability.

A few days ago, Apple launched the new Macbook Air and Mac Mini, both of whom use Bluetooth 4.0 instead of the old 2.1 which has been used up to now.While looking to only use state-of-the-art technology in their products, Apple has chosen to bypass using Bluetooth 3.0 and is now blasting past their competition by using this new version and thus becoming the first manufacturer to launch a Bluetooth 4.0 capable device.

The main difference between the third and fourth generation is that the new one is able to adapt its power use, increasing or decreasing it to suit the instant need. This new technology is called Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and even at maximum power, still uses only about half the power needed by Bluetooth 3.0 devices, while using only a hundredth when idling.

Apart from that, Bluetooth 4.0 is also capable of using an increased active area, somewhere around 200 m and it has a 6ms latency, as supposed to the 100ms capability of the current third generation.

Not to be overlooked is also the fact that the equipment needed for Bluetooth 4.0 is a lot smaller. Couple that with the low power usage mentioned above and you get two major pluses Apple decides to use it for the new iPhone or any other mobile device i.e. iPad or iPod.

AT&T Preps for Early Fall iPhone 5 Launch

As time passes, more and more information regarding the apparent upcoming launch of the iPhone 5 arises. Unfortunately, none of the information coming out is official. So far, the tech world has been bombarded with rumors from different sources and no comment from Apple. While some sources are far from believable and mostly hide behind anonymity, others give information which seems more plausible. An example of the latter is the latest from AT&T. It seems that the carrier is currently preparing for the eagerly awaited launch of the latest Apple phone.

Apparently, AT&T management has required retailers to finish any employee training as quickly as possible and be ready for the supposed high client influx coming in September. More than that, there is information which points to Apple looking to hire additional Apple store personnel in order to cope with the predicted deluge when the device finally comes out.

As has been the case in the past period however, this is still unofficial. While the sources inside AT&T which leaked the information are trust-worthy, an official announcement to confirm couldn’t hurt.

This corroborates the ever-growing rumors which indicate that the iPhone 5 will be announced in August, with a September launch date. These prior retailer preparations also confirm that Apple is bracing for huge success and accompanying sales of the new phone

iPad market share soaring – UBS confirms

For the past few years, Apple has seen skyrocketing success and ever-growing market shares. Fueled by the ever-popular iPhone line, which has been constantly upgraded and always leaving customers wanting more, the company has come back with huge sales and estimations. Another big help for Apple’s growing profits has been the launch and upgrade of the iPad.

And things seem to keep going more than well for the tech giant. Yesterday, the UBS’s analyst Maynard Um has released a statement where by he estimates a continuous growth of Apple’s market share. According to Um, Apple is looking to sell some 37.9 million units of the iPad alone by the end of the year, giving them a 63% market share. Apparently, the tablet market has been driven almost solely by the iPad so far. While competitors have been battling to gain their own place on the tablet market, none has even gotten close to the iPad’s success.

UBS’s analyst has forecasted that the two direct Apple followers, Samsung and Asustek will see sales of 5 million and 2.2 million units respectively for their tablets. This, as anyone can see, is a far cry from Apple’s massive lead. Further predictions take us into 2012. It seems that the numbers for next year are a little lower for the iPad, as Um announced some 53 million units to be sold, which will decrease Apple’s market share to a “mere” 58%.

Other findings are a little more surprising than this. According to the analyst, PC sales will drop this year. His first estimation brought forward a 6.3% increase in sales, but he has now adjusted that to only 4.5%.

iPhone Rumors Suggest September 5th Release

When it comes to Apple’s upcoming iPhone release, rumors never cease to appear. So far, most of them embrace the same story: that iPhone 5 will most likely be released this autumn, September to be more precise. Just last week, Apple’s CFO, Peter Oppenheimer dropped the words ”future product transition” during the company’s earnings call, and the majority agreed that his words very likely refer to the upcoming iPhone 5, supposed to be released this fall. But Oppenheimer added that the product transition is a matter “we will not talk about today” and Apple, as usual has provided no further official info regarding a possible release.

Exactly one week later, another rumor hits the net waves, pointing to the exact date of iPhone 5 US launch : September 5. September is something we’re already familiar with, but this time we also have the day : 5th of September, Monday. However, this is only the US release date, since US is Apple’s main target market. European customers won’t be as lucky. As rumors point, Europe will have to wait another month for the iPhone 5 to reach the market, the official Europe launch date appears is, apparently, October 5.

Given the source of the rumors, a senior Swisscom executive, there is a high chance that it is a reliable info. The Cupertino-based company, of course, refrains from providing some official information. 5th does seem to be the proper date, since Apple’s next generation iPhone is expected to be called iPhone 5 and along with its release, the company will also launch a new version of its operating system, the iOS 5.

Saturday, 30 July 2011

The latest version of the Netflix Android app released today added 16 new devices to it's support list. No one expected it to work on tablets but thanks to Droid-Life who got confirmation that this latest version does in fact work on Honeycomb Tablets. Are you excited yet? Click the download link below to grab it!

If you wander into one of your local Verizon stores, you may be surprised to find all the new marketing posters for the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G LTE already in place. This has apparently happened without anyone at Verizon actually getting a firm release date. We can probably guess that it should be very soon, and some rumors peg it for Thursday, which would make it tomorrow. This seems unlikely, but at the very least we should be able to expect it within the next few days. For those who want to pick up the 4G LTE version of this excellent device, we can keep our fingers crossed...

[Download] Netflix 1.3 working on Honeycomb Tablets

The latest version of the Netflix Android app released today added 16 new devices to it's support list. No one expected it to work on tablets but thanks to Droid-Life who got confirmation that this latest version does in fact work on Honeycomb Tablets. Are you excited yet? Click the download link below to grab it!
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Verizon Officially Confirms Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G LTE Launch on July 28th

SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB™ 10.1 WITH 4G LTE AVAILABLE AT VERIZON WIRELESS

4G LTE and Wi-Fi Models Available; 8.6 Millimeters Thin and Weighing in at 1.25 pounds

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) today announced that the Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 10.1 with 4G LTE will be available July 28 in either Metallic Gray or Glossy White in Verizon Wireless.

Key features:

· 4G LTE – customers can expect download speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G Mobile Broadband coverage areas

· Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n

· Android™ 3.1 Honeycomb platform – supports Google™ Mobile Services including Gmail™, YouTube™, Google Talk™, Google Search™, Google Maps™, Google Movies™, Google Books™ and Android Market™

· Adobe® Flash® 10.3 technology

· NVIDIA® Tegra2 dual-core 1 GHz application processor

· 10.1-inch HD touchscreen display with WXGA 1280 x 800 resolution

· 3-megapixel rear-facing camera and 2-megapixel front-facing camera for video chat capabilities

· 1080p HD video playback on a HD TV or other 1080p HD device

· Samsung Media Hub – offers a vast lineup of critically acclaimed films and TV programs for rent or purchase. Media Hub has been redesigned, allowing customers to playback Media Hub content on their TV through an HDMI adapter (sold separately). Purchased content

Sprint Premier Customers can Order the Motorola Photon 4G Early, Starting Today!

It's really cool to see how Sprint goes out of their way to reward their loyal customers. Their newest offering for Sprint Premier customers is that you can order the brand new superphone, the Motorola Photon 4G, today, which is a couple days earlier than the actual release. Premiere customers can now order the device before it is made publicly available on July 31 for $199 on contract.

This is pretty cool if you just can't wait, but don't forget that frequently the third party retailers like Amazon and Wirefly end up selling new devices for significantly cheaper on or shortly after launch day. Sometimes a little extra patience can stuff another $20 bucks in your pocket.

Nissan Releases Official Android App for their EV 'The Leaf'

Nissan has just released a pretty nifty Android app for owners of the new Nissan Leaf Electric Vehicle (EV). The app has some fairly impressive features and basically allows you to remotely control several aspects of your EV. Here's a quick quote from the AndroidPolice article detailing some of the more notable features,
If you have an active CARWINGS subscription, then you can view the battery's current charge level and even begin charging the car remotely from your phone if it's connected to a power source. The application will also be able to tell you how long it is until the charge will be completed. Other features made available through the app include the ability to remotely control the climate control system in the car, so you can have it all warm and toasty by the time you get in to drive. You can also see the remaining driving range.
This level of interactivity is only the "tip of the iceberg" when it comes to this burgeoning new EV market. In the future, it is likely we will have apps that allows us to use navigation systems to determine where the closest charging station can be found. What other app ideas can you guys come up with that would interact nicely with EV's of the future?